Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance has published a new 2024 Factsheet on Hepatitis C: Testing, Care and Treatment.This new factsheet – available to download in pdf form here – is for front-line, outreach, and public health staff, and others providing sexual health care and the communities of gay, bisexual, queer, and other men who have sex […]
Factsheet: HPV and Anal Cancer Screening, Treatment and Care
Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance has published a new 2024 Factsheet on Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and Anal Cancer Screening.
This factsheet – available to download in pdf form here – is for front-line, outreach, and public health staff, and others providing sexual health care and the communities of men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TW).
In the 2024 International Anal Neoplasia guidelines, MSM and TW living with HIV are prioritized for anal cancer screening.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a group of over 200 viruses that can cause cancer and skin warts, including anal warts. HPV strains (types) are divided into high-risk types, which can lead to cancer, and lowrisk types, which usually cause warts.
Nearly 50% of HPV infections are due to a high-risk strains, with around 14 identified high-risk strains. These HPV strains can cause cancer in the anus, mouth, throat and penis, as well as the cervix, vagina and vulva in AFAB—assigned female at birth— individuals.
Most of the time, the immune system controls HPV infections to stop them from causing cancer.
Nearly all sexually active people will become infected with HPV at some point after becoming sexually active.
